Liberals want to know how much Ontario is spending on 'it's all happening here' ads

The provincial Liberals want to know how many taxpayer dollars are being spent by the province to tell people how well things are going in Ontario.

The provincially funded "It's Happening Here" ad campaign has been ongoing throughout the year and was recently featured during Sunday's CFL Grey Cup, airing after the Jonas Brothers' halftime performance. A version of the ad that ran in the spring ended with "It's happening here," while the version that has run throughout the fall ends with "It's all happening here."

The ad asks, "Have you heard? There's a place where it's all happening," as a voiceover explains that the place is spending money on electric vehicle plants, has high employment and a strong economic outlook. The ad then reveals that place is Ontario, "the place you already call home."

It contains no conservative branding or mention of Premier Doug Ford, but as speculation of an early election call swirls, Liberal MPP John Fraser told reporters Tuesday it amounts to "propaganda." 

"Things aren't rosy, families are struggling and the government is trying to convince us with our own money that everything is OK," Fraser said. 

Fraser said Tuesday he plans to ask the government how much it's been spending on the campaign.

Previous version of campaign cost around $8M 

In March, CBC Toronto revealed through a freedom of information request that from April 1, 2023 to Jan. 31, 2024, the ads cost taxpayers nearly $8 million both in creative costs and media (meaning buying airtime, billboard space or online placement). 

CBC Toronto asked the Ministry of Finance how much the latest iteration of the campaign costs but did not receive a direct response. 

In the legislature Monday, Fraser offered his own spin on the ad. 

"What if I told you there was a place, a place where families were just struggling to keep their heads above water," he said, before asking how the government could justify spending money on the ads.

Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy responded by listing things the government has done to fight the cost of living. 

Randy Besco, a political scientist who teaches at the University of Toronto, said the ads are meant to make people feel better about the province.

"When things are going badly, when the economy is going badly, for example, when inflation is very high, it's the incumbent that gets blamed," he said. "Fairly or unfairly, that's what voters do. So that's why they run these kind of ads."

Provincial ad rules were changed by Liberals

The Liberals brought in the Government Advertising Act in 2004 under then-premier Dalton McGuinty, giving the auditor general responsibility for approving ad campaigns. 

That law banned ads if their primary purpose was "to foster a positive impression of the governing party."

WATCH | The Ontario government produced this ad that aired during the 111th Grey Cup: 

Government of Ontario TV ad 'It's all happening here'

8 days ago

Duration 1:01

An advertisement produced by the government of Ontario that aired during the 111th Grey Cup.

But in 2015, the government of then-premier Kathleen Wynne watered down the law, allowing the government to put just about any messaging in taxpayer-funded ads, so long as they don't use the names or faces of a politician or a party logo. 

Ford's Progressive Conservatives made an election promise in 2018 to reverse the changes to the advertising rules, but the Ford government hasn't kept that promise.